A man caught with a stun gun disguised as a USB device in Aberdeenshire has been jailed for five years.
Albert Blackmore left London for a fresh start in the north-east – but things went wrong when police raided his home in Queens Gardens, Huntly.
The 29-year-old was at the property on April 6 last year when police arrested him on other matters.
During a search, officers looked in Blackmore’s rucksack and found a stun gun along with other items.
‘Exceptional circumstances’
The stun gun was disguised as a USB drive used for transferring information from one computer to another.
At a hearing at Edinburgh High Court earlier today, a judge rejected a plea for a lower sentence.
Lord Young said: “Parliament has set out exceptional circumstances are required.
“They are rarely found in cases like this.”
The judge said Blackmore was aware the weapon was capable of inflicting harm.
He acknowledged that the offender had a difficult childhood and pleaded guilty and ordered that a 13-month sentence for a second firearms offence should run concurrently with the five-year sentence for possession of the stun gun.
At a previous hearing, Blackmore had admitted he was in possession without lawful authority of a firearm disguised as another object, namely a Taser disguised as a USB device.
He also pleaded guilty to possessing the Taser without holding a firearms certificate on the same date at the same address.
Previous offending
Advocate depute Lynsey Rodger said officers were directed to a rucksack belonging to Blackmore, which was found to contain the stun gun along with other items.
The prosecutor said the weapon had a torch function and was found to be in good working order.
She told the court that Blackmore was unemployed at the time and was of no fixed address and has previous convictions for offending in England.
Defence counsel Bill Adam said that before moving to Aberdeenshire Blackmore led “a rather unsettled life” in London and mixed with people involved in criminality.
He added: “He moved to Aberdeenshire to withdraw from that lifestyle.”
Mr Adam said that Blackmore’s actions in taking possession of the weapon were “impulsive” and told the court: “He did not buy it for the purpose of using it offensively.”
Mr Adam said: “He had an extremely challenging childhood. It had a profound effect on him and still does.”
At Edinburgh High Court, the defence counsel said Blackmore’s history of offending was a product of his lifestyle, which he now wanted to move away from.
On his release, he plans to return to London to his family.
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